Train signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

P. SYNNESTVEDT.

TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 466,501. Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

g5:7)IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMIJIIIM a I a A mi 17 u e ML J5 aoo UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL SYN NESTVEDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,501, dated December22, 1891.

Application filed October 13, 1890- Serial No. 368,037- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL SYNNESTVEDT, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in TrainSignaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electrically-controlled compressed-air orsteam apparatus by the use of which persons in the coaches are enabledto signal the engineer in the cab of the locomotive, and to meanswhereby immediate notice is given of any defect in the apparatus whichwould render it unreliable.

The objects of myinvention are to provide an absolutely reliable trainsignal which shall be of very simple and cheapconstruction and adaptedto be operated at will through the medium of signal-cords provided inthe usual position in each car, which will instantly give notice of anydefect in the apparatus or in the electrical connections thereof, andwhich, though in constant operative condition, may be very economicallymain tained and that with the, slightest degree of attention from thetrain-men.

Myinvention consists, in general, in the constructions and combinationshereinafter described and, particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a general view illustrating signaling apparatus embodying myinvention and clearly showing the electric circuits employed. Fig. 2 isa plan view taken from Fig. 1 and more accurately indicating theposition occupied by the several parts of the apparatus. Fig. 3illustrates a novel pressure-reducing valve which I employ in connectionwith and between the highpressure .compressed air reservoir and asmaller reservoir connected with the audible signal device. Fig. 4 showsthe whistle-valveoperating device. Fig. 5 illustrates a circuitbreakeradapted for use in connection with my apparatus. Fig. 6 is a side viewof the same. Figs. 7 and 8 are details showing the devices employed formaking the electrical connections between the several parts of thetrain.

Heretofore many electrical and several compressed-air train-signals havebeen invented and used; but the great difficulty in the successful useof these has been either inability toimmediately give notice of a defector failure of apparatus or that the same have been "too complicated ortoo expensive either in original cost-or in that of maintaining the samein good working order. In my devicel have aimed to overcome thesedifficulties by simplifying the necessary apparatus and its use. In thefirst place I combine both the electrical and the compressed-airsystems; but instead of carrying compressed-air pipes and connectionsback through the train I have substituted therefor inexpensive anddurable insulated wire, while upon the engine I have substantiallyretained the successful compressed-air signal, thus doing away with theexpensive and easily-injured rubber-hose connections and the couplingsordinarily used with the compressed-air systems, and, on the other hand,doing away with the storage-bat- I tery and the extra circuitheretoforeprovided upon the engine to operate the electric bell thereon asordinarily employed in connection with a secondary electric circuitprovided upon the coaches. Secondly,Ihave provided each side of thecircuit in each coach with entirely separate terminal connections andcouplings, which serve as connectors between the coaches or the tender,thus doing away with the trouble heretofore experienced in the use ofthe single electric couplers formerly used with metallic circuits ontrains, which trouble was due to water getting into the coupling andshort-circuiling the parts. With my device the moisture would only serveto make better electrical contact. rangement of my couplers is such thatthey cannot possibly be disarranged or misconnected by employs, and suchthat the uncoupling of the same is automatic when the cars areseparated.

As shown in the drawings, I provide a whistle 2 upon the engine 3. Thiswhistle is a small one and is preferably placed upon the engineers sideof the cab, so that a signal therefrom could not possibly be unnoticedby him, the usual compressed-air reservoir 4 communicating with thewhistle 2 through the reducing-valve 5, the low-pressure reservoir 6,and the pipes 7, as indicated.

Moreover, the arfrom the end thereof to the switch-lever of to thewhistle.

In the box 8 is provided the electriqvalve controlling the outlet ofcompressed air through the whistle. The wires 9 and 10 extend from theelectro-magnet in the box 8 to the fixed terminals 11 and 12 upon therear end of the tender.

Each car 13 14 is fitted up with a circuitbreaker 15 16 and is providedwith a pair of metal terminals 17 18 upon each end, and,further, with aconducting-cord 23 or 24, adapted to be secured between terminalsoccupying opposite positions, one on the end of one of the coaches andthe other terminal being opposite it on the end of the other adjoiningcar. If, as is the case at the rear end of the train, the terminals 17and 18'were in each instance connected by a loop similar to the loopshown at the rear end of the train a complete circuit would be formed ineach coach.

I provide a storage-battery 23 in the forward baggage-car 13 and incircuit with the circuit-breaker 15 and other parts of the system. Theopposite terminals upon the tender and upon the coaches are connected bystrands of insulated wire 23 and 24, as shown, thus completing thecircuit from the engine ,through the coaches and back to the engine.

As shown, the storage-battery, which, though here shown to consist ofthree cells, really consists of but one, is connected directly incircuit, and, as the contacts in the circuit-breakers are complete, aconstant current of electricity flows over the circuit upon the train. Astrong cord 25, similar to the common signal-cord, is provided in eachcar and extends the circuit-breaker in the box 16 or 15, as the case maybe. It will be seen that by pulling on the cord in either car thecontact between the parts of the circuit-breaker belonging to said carwill be separated, whereupon the electric valve in the box 8 upon thelocomotive-cab operates, as will hereinafter be described, to open saidvalve and allow the compressed air from the chamber 6 to escapethroughthe whistle 2 to notify the engineer. As soon as the cord 25 isreleased the contacts of the circuit-breaker connected therewith will beimmediately restored,whereupon the electric valve upon the engine willoperate to shut off the supply of compressed air The signal may now berepeated any number of times, and it is seen that any code of signalsmay be maintained between the person in charge of the train and theengineer. If, again, any of the wires forming the circuit should be cutor the connection between the cars broken in any way,

as by uncoupling one of the cars-from another, the engineer would beimmediately notified thereof by the action of the valve and theconsequent blowing of the whistle.

The positions of the terminals 17 18 and 11 12 are properly shown inFig. 2 to lie in the from one another across the end of the car.

same plane, but separated by several inches The flexible-cordconnections .23 and 24 and the cord-loop at the rear end of the trainare shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. The blocks in which the terminalsare secured are preferably placed beneath the eaves 26 and 27 of thecars, as shown, the idea in so placing thembeing to remove them as faras possible from the damaging eit'ects of the weather. Thesocket-terminal 18 is arranged in one block 32 and is adapted to receivethe split plug 29, having the insulating-handle 30. This plug isconnected with the terminal 17 on the other car by the heavy water-proofinsulated conductor or wire 23, secured firmly in the nipple-terminal17, provided in the insulating-block 33.

The relative positions of the connectors are shown in Fig. 8. Theseconnectors or couplings, as shown, each represent abranch of themetallic circuit and each contain but one single conductor. The twocouplings are placed some distance apart side by side and practically inthe same horizontal plane. The flexible wires 23 and 24 are of suchlength as to give plenty of slack for the cars to round a curve or torock from side to side without pulling the plugs out of the sockets.These pairs of electrical couplers occupy reversed positions, so that inpassing to the right hand around the circuit the plugs always extendforward. Thus the plugs and sockets upon abutting ends of the tender orthe coaches will always come in the proper position for coupling, andall that the attendant has to do is to place each plug in the socketdirectly opposite the same, when the circuit will be correctlycompleted. With this arrangement there will always be one plug and onesocket on each end of a coach, and the circuit may be closed across therear end of the last coach by simply forming the plug thereon into thesocket adjacent to the same, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig; 8. Theadvantages of this arrangement of the couplers and terminals are, first,absence of any liability of shortcircuiting the several parts of thesystem, and, second, the automatic uncoupling and breaking of theelectric connections when the cars are separated and pulled apart,thereby doing away with the necessity of attention from the train-hands.V

No attempt has been made to properly illustrate the manner of carryingthe wires through the various parts of the train,as, for instance, fromthe rear end of the tender 35 to the valvebox upon the locomotive-cab.must of course in practice be protectedfrom wear. It is possible that anadditional terminal standard might be required upon the across upon thecab by suitable couplers described.

In Fig. 4 I have shown an electrically-operated valve of novel designwhich I preferably The use in connection with my apparatus.

wires 9 and 10 are connected directly through This electro-magnet theelectro-magnet 36.

These wires is preferably wound with comparatively fine wire, so as tointerpose considerable resistance in the circuit, to the end that thedevice may be operated by as little current from the storage-battery aspossible, so that the action of the same will continue as long a time aspossible, thereby avoiding the necessity of frequently recharging thebattery. The armature 37 is provided upon the lever 38 before the polesof the electro-magnet 36. The lever 38 is pivoted, as shown, at 39 andengages the slide-valveO, adapted to close the port41, leading into thewhistle-pipe 42. The compressed air enters the valve-chamber throughthepipe '7, extending from the low-pressure reservoir 6. As current iscontinually flowing through the electro-magnet 36 from thestorage-battery in the baggage-car, the armature and the lever 38 willnormally be held up against-the ends of the magnet pole-pieces or cores,thus holding the slide-valve in a closed position over the whistle-port41. Now if the circuit of the battery is by any cause broken theelectro-magnet will be instantly tie-energized, whereupon the lever 38will immediately drop down at its outer end, owing to its own weight andthe weight of the armature, thus throwing up the slide-valve 4:0 andopening the whistle-port to allow the compressed air to escapetherethrough and blow the whistle 2. The vertical throw of theslide-valve is limited by the adjustable stops 45 and 46, provided inposition to engage the outer end of the valve-lever 38. Several openings47 are provided in the slide-valve, as shown, so that the pressure ofthe compressed air within the valve-chamber 60 will be exerted beneaththe slide-valve to in a measure balance the same and decrease thefriction between the bear ing-surfaces. The spring 48 is provided to atall times hold the valve in position-as, for instance, when there is nopressure in the pipe. As shown, the parts of the slide-valve 40 are madevery large to clearly represent the same; but in actual practice thebearingsurface of the valve is only about an eighth of a square inch,and the movement of the same seldom exceeds onethirty-second of an inchto open the port. It is obvious that the high pressure ordinarilymaintained in the main reservoir 4 would be much too great to allow thefree movement of the whistle-valve. For thisreason it is necessary toprovide a reducing-valve and a low-pressure reservoir between the mainreservoir and the whistle 2. 1 preferably make use of the novelpressurereducing valve shown in Fig. 3 in connection with the main andlow-pressure reservoirs. The air enters the reducingvalve from the mainreservoir 4 at a pressure of aboutninety pounds to the square inch. \Vewill say that the low-pressure reservoir 6 at this time is-practicallyempty, in which case, the piston 49 in the large cylinder 50 of thereducing-valve 5 will stand in the lower. part of the same and thepin-valve 51 will stand awayfrom its seat in the lower end of the pipe52, thus allowing the compressed air to enter the upper cylinder 53 andto flow directly into he low-pressure reservoir through the pipe 7. Asshown, the pin-valve is connected with the large piston 49 by thepiston-rod 55, extending through the air-tight bearing56. Nowas thecompressed air flows into the reservoir 6 a back-pressure is exertedthrough the pipe 57 upon the under side of the piston 49, thus tendingto raise the same and close the pm 51 against its seat 52 to cut off thesupply of air from the main reservoir. The weight of the large piston isso adjusted as to reslstthe pressure beneath the same until the deslredpressure per square inch has been attained in the reservoir 6. Thispressure in the reservoir 6 is inpractice about five pounds, althoughthe apparatus may be used WIT/11.31 pressure of as high as twentypounds. Su table piston-packing 58 is provided on the p1ston within thecylinder 50. An opening 59 is made in the upper part of the cylinder 50to allow a free ingress or egress of outside air, and thereby preventthe accumulation of anyback-pressure upon the piston 49. As shown, thepin-valve 51 is provided with a ball-bearing 68, held in position by theadjustable nut 61, thus insuring the effectual shutting off of the airfrom the main reservoir. I preferably employ a circuit-breaker similarto that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, consisting in the double-strap lever 62,adapted to be drawn off of the contact-tongue 63 upon the binding-post64 by pulling on the signalcord 25. The strap is normally held closedupon the tongue and against the binding-post by the spiral spring 65.The pivot 66, upon which the strap 62 swings, serves as the secondbinding-post. shown in Figs. 1 and 2, extending through thecircuit-breaker.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, in a train signaling apparatus, ofthe electricallyoperated compressed-air signal, with the electriccircuit extending therefrom through all of the parts ICO The wires 21are those of the train and through a suitable battery provided thereon,circuit-breakers included in said circuit and adapted to be operatedbysignal-cords provided in the coaches,the main compressed-air reservoir4, the low-pressure reservoir 6, the reducing-valve 5, consisting in thepiston 49, adapted to operate in the cylinder 50, the upper chamber 53,containing the pin-valve adapted to be closed against the seat providedthereforin the end of the pipe, extending from the main reservoir, thepipe 7, leading to the chamber 6, and the pipe 57,

communicating therefrom with the cylinder 2 5O beneath the piston 49,whereby a constant and comparatively low pressu re is maintained inthereservoir 6 for use in sounding the ,whistle.

2. The combination, in a reducing-valve, of the large cylinder 50,provided with'an opening 59, with the upper chamber 53, the piston LQ,the piston-rod 55, the pin-valve 51,'havmg the ball-bearing 60 andsecured in posit-ion by the adjustable nut (51, the leading-in -pipeextending from the main compressed-air reservoir, the seat for thepin-valve provided in the lower end of said pipe, the pipe 7,1eadingfrom the chamber 53 t0 the low-pressure reservoir, and the pipe 57,communicating

